Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Crème Fraiche

Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Crème Fraiche

Citrus is a winter crop, so why does it taste so summery? Maybe because of its sunshine color and crisp scent. This lemon olive oil cake is a recipe I tweaked a while back when I was searching for a citrus dessert for a Central Market cooking class. The texture is light and airy, the flavor is bright and not too sweet. An instant favorite.

I’ve tested this cake with all-purpose flour, gluten-free flour, cake flour and pastry flour. I like it best with cake flour, but any of the above will do. The version in the photo was made with all-purpose flour and you can tell it sunk in a little (but I can tell you from experience it was delicious.) It can be made one or two days ahead, completely cooled and wrapped well in plastic wrap. That makes for a super easy ending to your next dinner party.

When my partners Courtney Paddock, from Little Coterie, and Kelley Sullivan Low, from Sullivan Spread, were looking for a dessert to satisfy 80 at our last Farm Girls Supper Club we opted for this treat. We wanted to dress up the cakes with a rustic finish, so the lemon crème fraiche was added on top, along with a heaping helping of blueberries. Perfection on a plate.

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5 from 1 vote

Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Crème Fraiche

I prefer to use organic extra virgin olive oil, but regular or "light" olive oil works. If you don't have pastry flour, regular all-purpose flour works fine, just sift it twice. It does make for a slightly denser finished product. If you'd like to make this cake gluten-free, I recommend using Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour or Cup4Cup.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 10 slices

Author: Marcia W. Smart

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus additional for greasing pan
• 1 large lemon
• 1 cup pastry flour
• 5 large eggs separated
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Turbinado or Demerara sugar or white sugar

For Garnish:

• 1 cup crème fraiche
• 1/2 cup lemon curd
• Blueberries blackberries or raspberries

Instructions

• Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease springform pan with olive oil
• Finely zest 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon and whisk together with the flour. Halve the lemon, then squeeze and reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.
• Using the paddle attachment, in a large bowl beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar at high speed until thick and very pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add olive oil (3/4 cup) and reserved lemon juice, beating until just combined (mixture may appear separated). Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in flour mixture (do not beat) until just combined.
• Using the whisk attachment, in a clean large bowl beat egg whites with 1/2 teaspoon salt at medium-high speed until foamy, then add 1/4 cup sugar in a slow pour, beating, and continue to beat until egg whites just hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Gently fold one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten the base, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
• Transfer batter to springform pan. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.
• Bake until puffed and golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pan and remove side of pan. Cool cake to room temperature, about 1 hour. Can be made 1-2 days ahead, completely cooled, and wrapped well in plastic wrap.
• To make the garnish, in a medium bowl stir together the crème fraiche and lemon curd. Place a dollop on top of each slice of cake when serving and top with fresh berries. For dinner parties, you can serve the whole cake on a slightly rimmed cake stand or cake plate.
• Note: Adapted from a 2006 Gourmet magazine recipe.